ARA-American Restroom Association
America’s advocate for the availability of clean, safe, well-designed public restrooms.
American Restroom Association’s (ARA) goal is nothing less than a full-scale toilet transformation in this country so that our public restrooms are no longer a laughingstock among the developed world. Only by working together and forming a strong advocacy group for decent public toilets are we going to be able to bring about the necessary changes in our public accommodations.
ARA President Dr. Steven Soifer, Ph.D. has the last word in this article from the New York Times (subscription required) asking “Why are public restrooms still so rare?” The article wraps: “Mr. Soifer of the American Restroom Association believes that the issue in the U.S. should be addressed on a national level rather than having a patchwork of individual solutions. His group has had multiple meetings with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services hoping it would step in to handle public restrooms — much like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is responsible for toilets in the workplace — but to no avail. ‘Given that this really is a public health issue, someone has to take responsibility,’ he said, ‘and no one is.’”
Listen to ARA Board Member Chad Kaufman, President of the Public Restroom Company, discuss restroom privacy on the inaugural “Really? No, Really?” podcast with Seinfeld star Jason Alexander.
ARA Board Member Megan Welsh Carroll spotlights the issue for Californians in an opinion piece for the LA Times which was noted again on route-fifty.com in “Cities struggle to solve the public restroom problem.”
Read more about our efforts in the article “Starbucks under pressure to keep restrooms open to public” from The Guardian also featuring Dr. Steve.
My child won’t use the bathroom at school. What can I do?
How can I help ensure adequate facilities for all people?
What can I do about dirty, closed, or inaccessible public facilities?
What is required of my business? What should I expect from establishments I frequent?
“Do public restrooms make you nervous? You are not alone.” • ARA Co-Founder & President, Steven Soifer
Introduction to the ARA-( American Restroom Association) “We are the ARA” (1 min. video)
